Sylvia Burwell: “Inaction Is Not an Option”

One of the keynote speeches at the ongoing Regional Meeting on Surveillance and Control Strategies against Arbovirosis was the one delivered by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell, who thanked the government of Cuba for hosting such event and gathering health ministers from the area.

“As officials of our respective governments, no problem is more important than the safety and security of our people. We focus on this threat posed by the Zika virus. I want to talk about how we respond to Zika in the United States and the lessons we’ve learned,” Mrs. Burwell said to the audience gathered at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana.

As about 2012, there have been more than 29,800 cases of Zika in the United States and its territories. Zika is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and children. In the United States and its territories, more than 2,400 pregnant women have been infected with Zika and tragically 23 babies have been born with birth effects and their mothers have tested positive for Zika.

According to Mrs. Burwell, the stakes are simply too high with this virus and inaction is not an option. “Our top priority is to protect pregnant women and women in child-born age in an effort to minimize the number of children with complications related to Zika. To accomplish this goal, we emphasize the importance of communicating what we know about Zika so Americans have access to the latest information. We work to support states and territories that are the frontline to fight the virus. Special attention has been paid to Florida, where there has been local transmission,” she went on to say in her speech.

“We have to ensure that all territories have the resources they need to control the situation and keep surveillance. We have to make sure that our professionals are up to date with all protocols. We are investing in research and development to better understand Zika. We have to develop strategies to fight the Zika virus, by means of control programs and surveillance. We have to accelerate the development and human testing of vaccines,” Mrs. Burwell concluded.

“We cannot accomplish this without establishing partnerships in the region and the work with our colleagues in Brazil and Colombia. We’re very thankful that the government of Cuba has placed such deal of importance on having a productive discussion on this issue. Thank you.”

Other speakers in today’s opening session included Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization, and Cuba’s Minister of Public Health, Roberto Morales Ojeda.

Summoned by the Pan American Health Organization and Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health, the event is attended by delegations from some thirty countries from the Western Hemisphere.